Brushing your hair is a boring mechanical task that we have to do every day or at least regularly, so not many of us pay any special attention to it. However, this is an important part of hair care that not only keeps the tangles away but also ensures a healthy hair and scalp. To ensure your hair is healthy, here’s how to perform proper brushing and avoid breakage and fallout:
Learn Where to Start
When combing your hair, don’t just start willy-nilly, but go from the bottom to the top of your head. Start a few inches from the end and go slowly down to avoid damage to the hair and falling out. If you come across any knots that cause your brush to get stuck, use your fingers to untangle the locks and continue. When you untangle the entire length of your hair and reach the scalp, start brushing down carefully a few times to distribute natural oils evenly.
Take Small Sections
Disney movies usually have unrealistic images of self-care and pampering (there are no birds to come to your house and brush your hair) but sometimes, they can teach you a few useful things. For instance, try to imitate Aladdin’s Jasmine and take small sections of hair, put them against your palm and run the brush over them. This technique is very gentle on the hair, preventing breakage and accidental pulling from the root.
Choose the Right Tools
If you notice the technique above is not doing your hair a favor, you probably need a different brush. There are many models on the market—to prevent breakage, add volume, care for curly hair, etc. The texture and type of your hair have special requirements so make sure to invest in a few models for different care stages. There are also all-encompassing universal hair brushes that combine several designs into one. For instance, if your brush includes a paddle, a comb, bristles, pins and a wide comb, you can use it on all hair types and make detangling easy and painless.
When Brushing Wet Hair
Be very careful when brushing wet hair after showering. Water makes your hair soft and weak and fibers can easily stretch in the moisture and heat. So when combing wet hair, you can often expect some breakage that can dry weirdly and end up with many fly-aways. To prevent this, prep your hair by parting it and taking only a few strands at a time, using a wide-tooth comb and starting from the ends of your hair. With gentle strokes, detangle your hair and use your fingers when you come across more matted parts. To fight big tangles, use hair serum that will allow easier combing. Move from the ends to the crown of your head, combing down gently until all your hair is free of tangles and smooth.
Don’t Overdo It
It can be easy to get carried away when brushing your hair, but too much of it can cause damage to your strands and stress the hair. This stress can result in dry hair and dull locks. For the best effect, brush your hair thoroughly and stop once all the knots have disappeared. According to experts, you should also brush your hair twice a day—in the morning and in the evening. This is the best way to ensure natural oils are distributed evenly on the scalp and across the hair.
How much you need to brush depends on the hair type as well. For instance, people with curly hair might only need to brush it a few times a week, after washing and conditioning. On the other hand, people with long hair might need to boost their hair brushing to three or even four times a day to prevent tangling and matting.
Stop Stressing about Shedding
Some shedding is absolutely normal. As a matter of fact, we lose up to 100 hairs per day without any issue (we have over 100,000 follicles so a tiny loss is not noticeable). Healthy hair that falls out is replaced after a few months, but if you notice significant hair loss that’s not coming back, consult with a specialist.
If you follow these hair care tips, your locks will be healthier and better looking than ever. Remember, brushing is fundamental, so don’t skip it.
Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in health and beauty related topics and alternative medicine. In her free time she enjoys long walks in the woods, hard exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.
